Sunrise
by teamedwardforbellajacobforme
Summary: In La Push, everything happens at once or nothing happens at all. Very little has happened in the two years since BD, but things are about to change... What's next for the furry protectors of La Push?
1. Chapter 1

**CULLENS:**

Carlisle and Esme

Rosalie and Emmett

Jasper and Alice

Edward and Bella

Renesmee (2, looks 6)

**SAM'S PACK (and Imprints, in order of pack hierarchy):**

Samuel Uley (23) and Emily Young (21)

Jared Cameron (20) and Kim

Paul Lahote (22) and Rachel Black (24)

Quil Ateara (19) and Claire (5)

Anthony Raven (17)* and Miriam (19)

Brady Fuller (16)

Collin Littlesea (15)

**JAKE'S PACK (and Imprints, in order of pack hierarchy):**

Jacob Black (19) and Nessie (2…6)

Leah Clearwater (21)

Embry Call (20)

Seth Clearwater (17)

Ephraim Hoh (16)* and Gabrielle (17)

Michael Talltree (20)*

Joseph Marks (17)*

Timothy Chimakum (18)*

Chase Talltree (17)* and Jordan (12)

Judah Taxilit (15)*


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and material belong to Stephanie Meyer. This is my first wolf-fic. Be gentle.

-SUNRISE-

"Jake, if you don't hurry up, you'll be late for the Council."

Jake rolled his eyes - not an easy feat for a wolf - he had better things to do than sit in the Tribal Center's stuffy old room with Sam and a dozen elders; for starters, there was his imprint. He turned a fond gaze on a flash of bronze taking down a deer - Renesmee was turning out to be a fine hunter.

"I'll make sure your imprint gets home safely. Just get a move on, Jake. I don't need to hear my mom moan about her interrupted Charlie time."

"Quit nagging, I'm going Leah."

Leah phased out - presumably to don one of her many sundresses - and Jake yipped at his Nessie to tell her

that he was heading out.

"Bye, Jake," she'd ripped her mouth from the deer's jugular to give him a bloody farewell smile and voraciously returned to her meal once Jake had disappeared deeper into the woods. She knew he wouldn't leave her by herself for long. Renesmee sat back against the nearest tree once she'd had her fill and closed her eyes in concentration, trying to focus on the scents around her to determine which wolf Jake had sent for her.

"Hi, Leah."

"Hey, Ren. Looks like you're getting better with tracking, huh?"

"It helps when you're sniffing out the only female shifter - no one else smells anything like you."

"Learn to take a compliment, kid," Leah tried to ignore the only female shifter bit; she knew Renesmee hadn't meant to be hurtful but the reminder that she was still a freak among freaks (despite the fact that seven more had phased to join the freakiness since Renesmee's birth) always did smart a bit. "Come on let's get you cleaned up or your Auntie Alice will have a conniption."

Renesmee stood and pouted down at her blood-splattered outfit and sighed, letting Leah lead her to the stream both supernatural girls could hear gurgling from miles away. Gingerly, Renesmee placed a hand on Leah's, asking for permission to show the wolf something with her gift. Leah paused before nodding - even after two years, the whole "vampires-with-gifts" thing still freaked her out; but, she had a bit of a soft spot for the little half-pire.

"Go ahead," the moment the words escaped Leah's mouth, she was immersed in Renesmee's self-disappointment. "Ren, it's fine to be a messy eater. You can worry about etiquette when you stop being two."

"I'm not two, I'm six."

"Really? I'm pretty sure you were only born two years ago. If I recall correctly, I was there," Leah fought to control a repulsed shudder at the memory of what being there had entailed.

"Leah, you know what I mean!" Renesmee hissed, jumping angrily into the water and splashing around a bit.

"I certainly don't look like a two year old. I don't have the mind of a two year old. I don't feel like a two year old!"

"So you're a little different," Leah shrugged, watching waves form as she swung her legs in the water, "but the fact of matter is you're still two."

Renesmee sullenly ducked beneath the water, staying submerged for as long as she could. She let out a gust of breath, smiling at the swirl of bubbles that erupted around her before resurfacing like some sort of a swamp creature: Renesmee, the half-vamp Loch Ness monster. Leah silently chuckled at the thought.

"You ready to go home now, Ren?"

"I guess," Renesmee swam back to the shore and sighed as she looked down at her ruined clothes. It was a good thing Auntie Alice enjoyed shopping too much to care about what became of the things she purchased.

After leaving Renesme at the back door to the cottage where her family lived (although the term "lived" was relative being that the members of her family were more dead than alive) behind Casa de Cullen, Leah retraced her steps back to the deer Renesmee had feasted on. She thanked the deer for its sacrifice and prayed for the peace of its spirit in the realm of the dead before burying it. Disrobing and tying her dress loosely about her ankle, Leah headed towards the La Push Tribal Center.

-SUNRISE-

"... and the program, if you are amenable, would begin this fall," Billy was finishing up his speech when Leah entered, making as little noise as possible. Jake turned, catching her eye; she nodded once and he nodded back - silent communication passing between them as it could only do between an alpha and his beta: yes, Renesmee was home safely; and of course, Jake would fill her in later.

"If _they_ are amenable," Elder West swept a disdainful eye on the four wolves standing before the panel as he met Billy's authoritative glare with one of his own. "Who are they to speak for the youth of the tribe?"

"They are the Protectors - " Old Quil began.

"So let them protect - hunt Cold Ones or something. They really should have no say in matters of the Council -"

"As the protectors the wolves - especially the alphas and betas act as honorary members of this council, but of course you are familiar with the old ways, so you already know that - don't you, Daniel?" Sue's syrupy sweet tone had a biting edge to it that shut the other council member up; she smiled her satisfaction and gestured for Billy to continue.

"What do you think of the proposal?"

"This sounds like a great opportunity," the council - minus one certain member - was impressed by the

maturity in Jake's tone, "please inform them that the Quileute look forward to connecting with their native brothers."

"I agree," Sam's tone was somewhat distracted. "Elders, I have something I would like to say," he paused, silent under their inquisitive gazes.

"Sam?"

The wolf in question looked about the room uncomfortably, pausing to give Leah an especially awkward glance that made both Clearwater women furrow their brows and look upon each other with questions dancing in their eyes.

"Sam," Old Quil's folding chair creaked beneath him as he shifted, using a wooden cane for support, "Go on ahead and spit it out son."

"I," he called upon the power of the Alpha and stopped fidgeting like a nervous pup as he addressed the council, "Elders, my mate is pregnant again and I'd like to stop phasing so I can grow old with her and my pups."

Leah internally nodded to herself, so that's what the look was about. The man that should have been hers was having another baby that could have been hers with a woman that would have been her had things been different; had there been no such thing as supernatural creatures, and imprinting, and fiancee-stealing cousins, and she-wolves, and heart-attacks, and barren wombs. Leah ignored the concerned looks of her mother and alpha, instead focusing on the clock mounted above the only window in the Tribal Center's conference room; the clock was only right twice a day - it had stopped working ages ago, but no one could be bothered to fix it.

"Let me be the first to congratulate you Sam," Billy smiled a tired smile and Sam ducked his head deferentially, "but are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you want to give up your wolf, your pack?"

"I think it was always meant to be this way. I was never really meant to be Alpha, just to usher in the new generation. I believe my purpose has been served and I would like to step down and let the rightful Alpha take his place," his eyes darted to Jake's surprised form and back to the council as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Very well, I believe the details should be handled by those of us who are more directly affected by the wolf hierarchy, so we'll leave those matters to you, but please be sure to keep us informed, hmm?"

The four wolves nodded and Billy's eyes swept across the room - he looked every bit the chief he was, even in his wheelchair.

"Was there anything else on the agenda? Yes, Noah."

Noah Strong opened his mouth to speak and a cacophony of howls rang out.

"New phase," Jake explained to the wide-eyed council, "likely Benjamin Aki; the betas can take care of him while we finish up here."

With one last respectful nod to the elders, Leah and Jared escaped from the Tribal Center to the via a backdoor that led straight into the woods where Judah Taxilit, the youngest member of Leah's pack, frantically tried to stuff himself into his clothes and run to the center

simultaneously.

"Leah!" her name was equal parts panic and relief on his tongue as he lost the struggle to hold his shape and burst into a white wolf.

Leah followed suit, tossing her silvery-gray wolf head as she demanded to be brought up to speed on the situation - and what a situation it was.

There were three - four - three - four voices in her head:

_Judah: He won't stop phasing. This is not good. So not good. So not good. So not good._

_Seth: Look, Leah, I have no idea who just phased, but it's definitely not Benji (the boy who'd been on wolf-watch sitting in his room doing homework)_

_Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

_Embry: I'm Embry_

_Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

_Embry: and you are?_

_Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

_Judah: So not good. So not good. So not good._

_Embry: Leah, we have a problem_

_Leah: Thanks for the update, Sherlock. Jude, phase out. Seth, stay with Benji, but phase out. Embry, how close are you?_

_Embry: About 50 yards - he's growling, won't let me approach. Hey Leah, you realize Jude's naked?_

_Leah: Crap, hold on._

"Jude, wolf it to Billy's and then go home, and think silently, got it?"

"Got it," the order rolled over the boy seamlessly and Jude and Leah phased back

simultaneously.

_Leah: Embry, I'm on my way. Can you tell me what exactly is going on?_

_Embry: I'm at the beach watching this guy (tall native kid) go nuts over his lost phone. All the _

_sudden he's vibrating and then - BAM! _

_Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

_Embry: - he phases. This girl (pretty native girl with long hair) _

_Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

_sees and she's like "Holy Q'wati," and then, as she's fainting, in the millisecond her eyes are rolling back, _

_BAM! - he imprints. _

_Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

_Embry: She falls on the ground, he phases human, sees me, phases wolf, growls, phases, and he's been doing that pretty much ever since (girl unconscious under man-wolf, constantly phasing between forms)._

_Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

_Benji: LIMIT AS N APPROACHES INFINITY! What the hell?! Mrs. Cameron I will end you! Paws? Holy Q'wati - I've finally cracked. Oh my gosh. I am hallucinating! Calculus broke my brain._

_Seth: Benji_

_Benji: And now I'm hearing voices! Oh my Q'wati. I am turning into Sybil. (The people, the people) What the -_

_Seth: Benji try to calm down. I am Seth, the legends are true, you are now one of the Quileute protectors._

_Benji: (Mrs. Aki's voice "Benjamin, sweetie, are you - Holy Q'wati! It's a wolf! Richard get my gun!") Mom? Mom? It's me - Benji, your son. Mom?_

_Leah: Benji, go with Seth_

_Benji: Mom? Mommy? Help me._

_Leah: __**Benjamin Aki, go with Seth.**_ _Seth get him out of there before she comes back! Embry, go help him._

_Embry: Are you sure you don't need me to stay here?_

_Leah: I've got it covered. Hustle!_

_Embry: Yes, ma'am._

As Embry turned, he saw that Leah had phased and was making her way toward the new wolf and his imprint on all fours in human form, her back arched and her butt swaying with her movements. Embry couldn't help but let his eyes rove her body a second time; an image of what exactly he'd like to do with the aforementioned body part took shape.

_Seth: Eyes to yourself, Embry!_

Seth attempted a growl for Embry's benefit and the guilty wolf peeled his eyes from Leah as he galloped toward Seth and Benji.

_Benji: Is that a tail? Come here! I want to play with you!_

It was a dizzying sight, Embry wished that Benji would quit chasing his tail and was surprised when the cub actually did, sitting on his haunches and wagging his tail enthusiastically as he looked over at Seth with a goofy puppy grin, before taking off after a scent he'd caught. Embry bounded onto the scene, impeding the chase and Benjamin whimpered as his rabbit scampered away.

_Embry: Ben, sit down and listen. I am Embry Call and that is Seth Clearwater. (Benji conjured up the image of the two wolves' human forms and Embry sent out a wave of encouragement) _

_Exactly. We - along with a number of other guys _

_Seth: and Leah_

_Embry: are the werewolf protectors of La Push._

_Benji: Werewolf? But its not a full moon..._

_Embry: Okay, so we're not exactly werewolves; technically, we're skinwalkers or shapeshifters - whatever term you'd prefer. Long story short, the legends are true and now the ancestors have chosen you to join us._

_Benji: So... I'm not crazy? _

_Embry: No, you're not._

_Benji: Can I unpoof, or am I stuck?_

_Embry: Unpoof?_

_Seth: I think he means phase._

_Embry: Oh, right. Of course you can phase back. We'll help you._

-SUNRISE-

Leah army crawled toward the trembling wolf who was hovering over his imprint at a pace that would've been slow for a human, and was thus, agonizingly slow for the she-wolf; but, there was nothing she wouldn't do for this wolf - or any other wolf - he was pack, and pack was everything. She lowered herself onto her belly and stared into the wolf's eyes; he whimpered and looked away, settling into his human form, still crouched over his imprint. Leah sat up slowly so as not to frighten the wolf who was making noises low in his throat and showing his teeth.

"Shh, I'm not gonna hurt you, little brother." her voice was a barely a whisper, but she knew his supernatural abilities allowed him to hear every word.

The wolf phased human and kept his shape; he blinked like he was just waking from a fog.

"What just - how did I -"

"We're wolves - the ancestors have chosen us to protect La Push from the evils of the supernatural realm."

"But those are just legends."

"I used to think so, too," Leah's explanation was interrupted by the groanings of an imprint.

"Are you okay?" The new wolf was instantly in his imprint's face as her eyes blinked open slowly.

"I... I think so," she smiled shyly up at the boy whose face was hovering above her own; admiration quickly

turned to abject horror as she realized that his face was not the only part of his anatomy available for her viewing pleasure.

"Oh my gosh, Aaron, you're naked!" she sat up quickly, her forehead narrowly avoiding his as she rushed to avert her eyes and instead found a nude she-wolf. "Leah! What kind of a freaky nudist cult ceremony-"

"So I'm guessing you don't remember what happened." Smirking with more amusement than she should have, Leah untied the dress hanging around her ankle and slipped it over her head.

"What happened?! Am I still a virgin?"

"You still have your clothes on, don't you?"

The new wolf - _Aaron_ - growled a warning at Leah, who growled back menacingly. Aaron vibrated with an

impending phase.

"Calm yourself, you don't want to hurt her. Take a few steps back," Leah nodded her approval when Aaron complied.

"Can someone tell me what's going on? Actually I don't think I want to know. I'm just gonna go and you guys can have your freaky nudist pow wow or whatever," the girl slowly began to back away and found herself colliding with a warm wall of man.

"Don't go," Aaron pleaded, desperately grabbing her arm; the girl began to swoon and caught herself, tearing out of his arms and clapping her hands over her eyes.

"Don't touch me! Put some clothes on, Aaron! What is wrong with you?"

Aaron looked heartbroken. It was time for Leah to take the reigns again.

"Shut up for a moment, girlie."

"Andie," the imprint corrected sullenly.

"Aaron, there should be some shorts over by that tree," Leah pointed before going back to Andie. "Look he's a wolf, you're an imprint; he protects La Push from vampires and the two of you will be disgustingly in love for the rest of your lives and live happily ever after."

The imprinted couple wide-eyed and shell shocked, looked from Leah to one another shyly. Leah sighed, she'd probably messed that up royally, but they seemed to be taking things well.

"You're probably burning with curiosity and I'd bet you're hungry, or at least you are," she gave Aaron a significant look. "We'll go to my house and eat something, hopefully someone will be there who can answer any questions you might have. C'mon."

-SUNRISE-

Okay so I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm about to go on summer break, so I should definitely be updating soon. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and material belong to Stephenie Meyer and other respective owners. Andie and various other newbies are my own creations. Still, I make no profit and mean no harm. Enjoy!

A/N: Breaking Dawn came out in 2008, so the idea is that all the events of this story begin two years later in 2010.

-SUNRISE-

Amanda Littlesea woke up torn between burrowing deeper beneath her covers and jumping out of bed. Once she stepped out of bed there would be no going back; she knew that today her life would be irrevocably changed.

"This day's black fate on more days doth depend;

This but begins the woe, others must end."

A line from Romeo and Juliet popped into her head and Amanda rolled her eyes at the worn, paper-backed library book that crept into her thoughts from its place on the chair she used as a nightstand. It was time to face the day... Hopefully her day would hold a much happier fate than Romeo's had.

Amanda rolled out of bed and opened her closet door, trying to decide what to wear. One hour and five changes later and Amanda was ready to tear her hair out.

"Are you cleaning out your closet?" Alexa, Amanda's fourteen year old sister, slipped into the room surveyed the clothes inhabiting every visible surface.

"I don't have anything to wear," Amanda lamented, throwing herself onto the pile that had taken over her bed.

"Well, where are you going?"

"Bonfire."

"Okay," Alexa fished a beige sweater and a pair of jeans out of the pile her sister was lying on. "What do you think about this?"

"Oh my gosh, you're a lifesaver, Lex!"

One shower, a bowl of Cocoa Puffs, and a battle of good versus evil (aka curling iron vs. stubborn hair) later, Amanda laced up her boots and grabbed her purse before banging on her mother's door.

"Mom I'm going!" there was no response and Amanda turned to where her little sister was watching an America's Next Top Model marathon on the couch. "Tell her when she gets up, Lex."

"Sure."

"Thanks."

The screen door banged shut behind Amanda as she rushed through the ever-present drizzle, simultaneously praying for her curls to last and cursing herself for leaving her umbrella in the car. She readjusted the seat, turned on the heater, and headed for the grocery store in Forks.

Amanda stood in aisle seven of Ron's Food Mart with a basket of ingredients for cookies in one hand and a yellowing notecard in the other.

"Almond extract," she read aloud, scanning the aisle and sighing when she found the glass bottle two shelves out of her reach. "Ron, you kill me."

She scanned the aisle again, this time for witnesses, and set her plastic, blue basket on the ground then stood on the lowest shelf, stretching her arm as far as it would go. Amanda's hand closed around the bottle and a triumphant smile lit her face. Before she could declare the endeavor a success, Amanda felt herself falling. Warm arms came out of nowhere to catch her and set her back on her feet. One arm stayed wrapped around her waist while the other reached her outstretched arm and plucked the bottle from it.

"This says cinnamon on it. I believe you wanted this one," he put a different bottle in her hand, "almond."

Amanda struggled to breathe; vertigo, adrenaline, and his warmth surrounding her stealing the air from her lungs.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Amanda nodded, unable to do anything else - to breathe, to think anything else. Nothing existed for her but him. It scared her that his proximity alone did this to her.

"Andie?" he spun her around and searched her face, "What's going on? Your heart is beating so fast..."

Amanda avoided his eyes - the love and tenderness she found there made her uncomfortable; he made her feel things she'd never felt before, things she wasn't sure she was ready to feel.

"Look at me," his fingers tipped her face up to his, forcing her to look in his eyes and accept what she saw there.

"Andie," her name was a prayer on his lips. See me, love me.

"Aaron," his name was a sacred whisper of acceptance: I see you, I love you.

In that instant the barriers that Amanda had constructed against the imprint disappeared and the bond was allowed to surge forward and take hold of her heart. Amanda looked at Aaron with new eyes and he smiled, lazily watching her take him in as he traced her bottom lip with his thumb. Her breath caught as he lowered his mouth onto hers. They kissed and it was heaven.

"Amanda Littlesea!" a plump, middle-aged woman exclaimed from the end of the aisle, bursting the imprint bubble. Startled, Amanda stumbled backward into the shelf behind her, bumping her head."Young lady, didn't your mother teach you better than to cavort with hoodlums like some sort of a hussy?!"

Aaron bared his teeth and growled, the wolf was rising up to defend his mate.

"Well I never," wide-eyed, the woman wheeled away in a huff.

Amanda squeezed closer to the shelf as she watched a spasm rip down Aaron's spine. He stood trembling in the middle of the aisle, grinding his teeth and fisting his hands in an effort to regain control. A stream of blood trickled from where Aaron was driving his fingernails into his palms and Amanda felt her stomach turn.

"Oh Q'wati," she breathed.

-SUNRISE-

Jared Cameron watched lovingly as his wife of almost a year rechecked the straps holding their two month old son in his baby seat - it was just as secure as Fort Knox, but Kim couldn't help but worry like the new mother she was. Once Kim was satisfied, she went around to the passenger seat; Jared shut the door behind his wife and drove to Ron's Food Mart.

The Cameron family received a number of look as they shopped with two carts. One cart was overflowing with hot dogs, hamburgers, their respective buns, and condiments; the other cart contained enough fixings for s'mores ingredients to satisfy a small country for a month (or an army of werewolves for a day) and a box of diapers.

"Is there anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," Kim shook her head and her long ponytail swished over her shoulder.

"Let's head out," Jared said, then turned his head, listening to something with his supernatural hearing.

"Jared, what is it? Vampire?"

"Aaron, the new wolf. It sounds like he's got his imprint with him," Jared took off with his cart and Kim made a face at the baby watching her curiously from his car seat that had been fastened into her cart.

"Let's go see what Daddy's up to, baby," she followed her husband out of the frozen section and into the baking aisle, arriving just in time to see Jared dragging the new wolf out of the other side.

"C'mon, let's get some air," he was saying to the younger man, then, he turned to Kim. "Take her to Sam's; I'll see you two later."

"Love you."

"Love you more."

Kim blushed happily and blew a kiss at her husband, watching him go. When he disappeared around a corner, she turned to the girl who looked like she was trying to blend into the shelf, her head still facing the direction the wolves had gone.

"He'll be fine, it's really rough for them until they get used to being wolves."

Andie's head whipped around and Kim backtracked.

"Oh shoot, sorry! Jared said that you knew. I'm really sorry -"

"No, I'm sorry. Just in shock I guess. I thought he was going to..." Amanda shook her head to erase the thought and Kim gave her a look of sympathy. "But, yeah I knew about the wolf thing."

"Okay, I thought you did, I mean you're going to the bonfire tonight - you are going, right?"

"Mhmm. You?"

"Yeah. You're Andie, right?"

"Well, its Amanda actually. But I go by Andie..."

"I'm Kimberly Cameron; you can call me Kim, though," Kim's eyes filled with pride at the chance to show off her baby as she beckoned Andie closer, "This little guy is Jared Lusa Cameron Junior, we call him JJ."

"He's adorable."

"Thanks, I made him myself," Kim joked. "Hey, do you think you could give me a hand with that other cart?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Thanks. Are you done shopping?"

"Yeah."

The imprints walked over to the register and Andie's eyebrows rose with the running total, her eyes darting between the monitor and each item being passed over the scanner.

"Wolves eat a lot," Kim whispered in her ear.

"$203.98, would that be all, ma'am?" the bored blonde - Jessica S. according to her nametag - asked.

"That's for the bonfire, right?" Kim asked Andie who nodded her head, "Can we add her things on, too? Thanks."

"No problem," Jessica moved the dividing bar and Andie grabbed it slamming it back in place.

"I really can't let you do that."

"Yes you can," Kim stole the bar from Andie and handed it back to Jessica as she spoke to the younger imprint.

"But you've already spent so much."

"It's really no hardship the Council covers bonfire expenses."

"Oh," Andie smiled shyly.

"You're so sweet!" Kim gushed and Andie's smile turned into a grimace, she didn't think Kim was that much older than her.

-SUNRISE-

"Open up, little piggies! Let me in, or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down!" Kim called on the porch of the yellow house, JJ in her arms. Andie could hear voices from her place beside Kim.

"I'll get it!"

"Don't open it, Ali!"

"Why not? It's just Kim."

"Nuh uh, it's the big bad wolf," the door swung open to reveal two girls. They had the same dark skin and ebony hair, but Andie didn't think they were sisters if they were even related.

"See, what'd I tell ya?" the older girl, who looked to be middle school-aged, asked the kindergarten-sized girl.

"Whatever. Hi Kimmy; hey, baby Jay," the younger girl kissed JJ's teeny foot as she baby-talked him, innocently ignoring the newest imprint.

"Hi, Claire. Claire, Natalie this is Andie. Andie, meet Claire and Natalie."

"So you're the new wolf girl, huh?" the girl who'd answered the door gave Andie a once over.

"Be nice, Natalie," Kim said warningly as she entered the house followed by Claire who was begging to hold the baby.

"Hi," the girl stuck her hand out in greeting. "I'm Chase's imprint."

"You're twelve!" Andie's eyes nearly flew out of her head.

"I'll be thirteen in a month and Claire's barely five. The Great Spirits don't care about age." Natalie shrugged. "Anyways, our imprints aren't all romantic and stuff. The three of us young imprints are just friends with our wolves; they're exactly what we need them to be."

"Hello," a woman, half disfigured by a series of scars running down the left side of her face, exited the kitchen and a toddler flew at her from out of nowhere.

"Up, Mama, up!" He demanded and the woman scooped him up with a content look on her face that reminded Andie of a "Madonna and Child" portrait from the Renaissance era.

"You must be Andie," the scarred woman gave Andie a one-armed hug as the other was being used to keep the little boy on her hip, "I'm Emily Uley and this is Kaden."

"Hi... you have a lovely home. Thank you for inviting me over."

"I should be thanking you! We need all the help we can get in the kitchen. You ready to meet the other girls?"

Andie followed Emily to the kitchen which seemed to be bursting with life: girls were bustling around, laughing and talking and cooking.

"Girls, this is Amanda Littlesea, Aaron's imprint."

"Littlesea?" A girl who sat peeling potatoes repeated, "Are you related to Collin by any chance?"

"Mhmm, our dads are brothers - we're first cousins."

"What a small world," the girl shook her head with an amused smile. "I'm Miriam Hoh everyone calls me Mary, though."

"Nice to meet you, Mary."

"You too," Miriam smiled.

"I'm Rachel Black," an older girl, who Andie vaguely recognized as being one of Chief Black's daughters, greeted, turning to look over her shoulder. "I'm Paul Lahote's imprint."

"Is everyone here imprinted?" Andie asked, counting the number of girls in the room as they nodded. "So there are seven werewolves in La Push."

"Technically yes," Kim began and Andie turned to see her filling a pot with water at the sink. "There are seven wolves in the La Push pack, Sam's pack. But there's another pack, Jake's; there are ten of them - twelve including the new wolves - and they split their time between Forks and La Push."

"That's nineteen," Andie whispered breathlessly, "Q'wati! There are nineteen werewolves."

"Are you okay?" Mary noticed Andie's shallow breathing and set aside her knife and half-peeled potato. She guided Andie to a chair at the table. "Sit down and just breathe, okay? Inhale... exhale... inhale... There you go."

"I'm so embarrassed," Andie spared a glance around the room and found the other imprints' concerned eyes on her. "It's just kind of a lot to take in."

The wolf-girls nodded empathetically, they'd all been in Andie's place or a similar position at some point during the recent years.

"The pack can be intimidating at first, but once you get used to everyone, you realize we're a family." Rachel handed Andie a glass of water, "Admittedly, a majority of us - not us in this room, personally - have a tendency to turn into gigantic, supernatural hairballs, but the fact is, no one's got your back like pack."

Hums of agreement chorused about the kitchen and the women returned to their tasks. A gentle hand tapped her shoulder and Andie turned around to see Emily wearing her signature cheery, maternal smile.

"Are you ready to get started in the kitchen?"

"I don't see why not."

"Good. Let me show you around," Andie followed Emily deeper into the kitchen and in no time, she had rolled up her sleeves and fallen into rhythm with the other imprints.

-SUNRISE-

A/N: Okay that's all for today, folks. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and will continue on the journey with me. Next week: The bonfire. Please review!

P.S. Please let me know if you are interested in beta-ing.


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